


I Know Better

by EJWalters



Category: Dead Poets Society (1989)
Genre: And angst, But lots of fluff, DPS, Dead Poets Society - Freeform, Jane Austen - Freeform, No Smut, Poetry, Shakespeare, and fluff, and i fix some things :), but no smut cuz i dont write that, but there will be angst and fluff, i dont know what else to put in the tags, i guess its kind of a slow burn?, i write poems in this so there's poetry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-04
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2019-11-12 00:45:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 10,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18000578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EJWalters/pseuds/EJWalters
Summary: Neil Perry and his friends are beginning another school year at Welton (or as they lovingly call it "Hellton") and there are not one, not two, but three new faces in the form of Todd Anderson, John Keating, and is daughter. Who is she? What is she like? Where is she from? What's her story? Who will chase after her? And, most importantly, what will happen now that she's here?This story will loosely follow the plot of the film, but with several changes (including the scene that makes everyone cry *wink wink*).Disclaimer: I don't own (or pretend to own) any of the characters in this work except for Alexandria as she is my own character.Happy reading!!





	1. The Girl

Mr. John Keating was the new English teacher at Welton and all the boys were curious as to who he was and where he had come from. Neil Perry and his group of friends were messing around in his dorm room when Neil stopped short, looking out the window.  
“What is it, Neil?” Charlie asked.  
“There’s a girl,” he answered.  
All activity in the room ceased and all eyes were on Neil.  
“What?” Knox asked.  
“There’s a girl outside, reading a book and walking around,” Neil repeated.  
He was suddenly crushed against the window as the other boys in the room rushed to it to see the alleged girl and Pitts opened the window so they could get a better view. They all craned their necks to get a look at her. Neil had been right. There was a girl. She had long black hair without so much as a ribbon in it and she wore a modest brown skirt and a white shirt, carrying a book in her hands. All the boys started arguing rather loudly over who got first dibs when Charlie said that the lot fell to Neil since he saw her first. This was met by a reluctant agreement from the rest of the boys.  
“Talk to her!” they all encouraged.  
Neil glanced at the rest of the windows that faced the courtyard and found them crammed with faces as boys practically fell over themselves to get even a glimpse of the mysterious girl who had appeared almost out of nowhere. Neil shook his head with a good-natured smile that was almost embarrassed as he asked, “What would I say?” “Anything!” came the resounding response. Neil chuckled at his friends’ antics and sat on the window sill as the other boys backed up a little so that he wouldn’t be pushed out of the third story window on accident.  
He kept a hand on the wall inside as he leaned out a little and called, “Good day, fair maiden!”  
The others laughed at him but he hushed them with a wave of his hand.  
The girl turned and searched for the source of the voice before her eyes landed on the boy leaning out the window, “Good day indeed, kind sir.”  
Neil smiled, encouraged by her reply, “Might I inquire after thy name?”  
The boys laughed again, but silenced themselves quickly to hear her reply.  
“Inquire you may, but I shall not answer. You will find out before the sun sets on the morrow,” She took a few steps toward him, closing her book with her finger between the pages to keep her place and placing her hands behind her back, “May I know yours?”  
“The lady wants an answer that she will not give herself. ‘Tis a hard thing,” Neil answered.  
“I gave my lord an answer. Be it one that he likes is another thing entirely,” said the girl, a smile playing at her lips.  
“My name is Perry,” he said, “What of the book you read? Will you grace me with the knowledge of its title?”  
She smiled, now, “I will only reveal it if you promise not to jest about it with your friends who are hiding in your closet.”  
“How did you know?”  
“They are neither quiet or subtle, my lord.”  
“Worry not. It shall be our secret, dear lady.”  
She nodded, “Then I shall tell you. The title of my novel is Sense and Sensibility. Do you know it?”  
“Indeed, madam. Written by the famed Lady Austen, is it not?”  
“It is as you say, my lord.”  
Neil glanced back into his room at his friends and saw them practically bursting where they stood, eager to talk about this mystery girl who had them all infatuated. Charlie motioned for him to wrap it up. Neil looked back down to the girl with black hair.  
“I’m afraid I must retreat to my chambers. Might I call on you?”  
“My lord has no address.”  
“Then when shall I learn of thy name?”  
“As I said before, my Lord Perry, before the sunsets on the morrow. Good day to you.”  
“And to you as well.”  
The girl brought her book out from behind her back and continued to read where she left off as Neil turned to face his friends. The other six boys were staring at him dumbly.  
“What?” Neil asked.  
“That Shakespeare crap actually worked?” Knox asked.  
Neil shrugged, coming back into the room and closing the window behind him, “I guess so.”  
“So what’s her name?” Meeks asked.  
“Yeah, we couldn’t hear what she said, only that she was talking,” Cameron chimed.  
Neil smiled, “I don’t know.”  
* * * * * * *  
The girl walked into Mr. Keating’s classroom, “Papa?”  
“Here!” he called from his office.  
She walked towards it, humming a careless tune, and went inside, leaning against the desk he had by the window.  
“How was your walk, my dear?” her father asked.  
“I met one of your students. A Mr. Perry,” She answered.  
“Oh? What do you think of him?” He went and sat at the desk.  
“He’s quite the character,” She chuckled, “I think the two fo you will get along famously.”  
“How did you meet him?”  
“I was walking through the court yard reading my book and he opened his window and started talking to me the way people used to talk. It was almost Shakespearean, but not quite.”  
He smiled up at her, “Just remember not to let his fancy language woo you.”  
She laughed, “You’re the one who says language was created to woo women. Am I not a woman?”  
“Oh dear. I’ve just contradicted myself,haven’t i?”  
She leaned down and kissed her father’s cheek, “Don’t worry, Papa. I won’t tell anyone.”  
“Thank you, Alexandria. Comeon, it’s almost time for dinner. He stood and grabbed his jacket, slipping it on before offering his arm to his daughter. She took it and the two of them walked towards the dining hall. Alexandria took her seat beside her father and watched as all the boys started to flood into the hall.  
Mr. Keating leaned over to her and whispered, “Which one of them is Mr. Perry?”  
She watched for him and subtly pointed to him when he walked in, “That one.”  
“I fear he may yet steal you away from me, my dear.”  
“Never. My heart may be held captive one day, but no one will steal me away from you,” she replied.  
He smiled, “Good answer.”  
“Thank you, Papa,” she looked down the table, “Could you pass the rolls, please?”


	2. The Boy

“Is that her?” Meeks asked Neil as they walked into the dining hall.  
“Well do you see any other girls our age around?” Neil laughed.  
“Man, she’s pretty,” Cameron sighed.  
“Don’t forget, Cam. Neil’s got dibs,” Charlie reminded.  
“Because you don’t want her?” Pitts asked incredulously.  
Charlie watched her for a moment, “She’s not my type.”  
Neil snorted, “Any girl that breathes is your type, you dunce.”  
They all laughed. Even Todd managed a small smile.  
“You don’t say much,” Knox observed.  
“Now, now. You should know it’s the quiet ones to watch out for. They’re the ones secretly plotting your murder,” Neil defended his roommate.  
“That means you oughtta sleep with one eye open, Neil,” Charlie said, “He sleeps in your same room.”  
Neil laughed, “No, I’m safe. We made a treaty. I help him come out of his shell a little, he promises to spare me when he kills the rest of you.”  
“That true, Todd?” Meeks asked  
“Well Neil said it, didn’t he?” the tentative blond replied.  
“You gonna spare the rest of us, Anderson?” Pitts asked, playing Neil’s game.  
“Depends on how nice you are to him,” Neil answered in Todd’s place.  
“Hey, Neil,” Cameron said, “Guess who’s starin’ atcha?”  
“Who?”  
“The girl, blockhead!”  
“Nah.”  
All the boys started telling him that he was wrong and that she was, indeed, staring. Neil rolled his eyes and looked over his shoulder, only to find that the raven-haired girl was staring at him. She didn’t even look away when he caught her eye. He offered a charming smile without trying to be charming and she offered a shy smile in return. The boys groaned, making Neil laugh and look at them questioningly.  
“What?”  
They all stared at him.  
“Oh,” he laughed again.


	3. A Name Given

The first day of classes was the day after Neil and Alexandria had their window chat. When all the boys shuffled into class that day, their conversations turned from loud and obnoxious to secret whispers as they wondered about why there was a girl sitting in their teacher’s chair. She looked no older than they were. Surely she should be in a school of her own. Alexandria was sitting in her father’s chair with her feet tucked under her slight form and a book resting in her lap. It was a different book than the one she had read the day before, but was by the same author.  
“Good morning, fair lady,” a voice said in front of her.  
She looked up and smiled, “Good morning, my lord Perry.”  
Neil grinned, “How fares the book you read?”  
“It fairs well, though I’m afraid it’s getting a little weathered down,” She held it up for him to see and it was obvious she had read it many times.  
“Its covers appear to have a different name than the one you told me of yesterday. Did my lady decieve me?”  
“My Lord asks a hard question to a woman of honor. No, my lord. I did not decieve you. I was indeed reading a book of a different nature yesterday, and I stayed up late into the night to finish it. I began this one early this morning as the sunligh kissed the tree tops,” she answered, then leaned forward and whispered, “You might want to go and sit at your desk, Mr. Perry. He’ll be starting class soon.”  
“Not until you tell me your name.”  
She sat back in her chair, “You’ll learn it soon enough.”  
“How soon?”  
“Before the class is over.”  
“Not soon enough.”  
She gave a small chuckle, “I have been given authority to give demerits when I see fit.”  
“See, that’s blackmail.”  
“No, it’s abuse of power. Go sit down, Mr. Perry, and you shall learn my name.”  
Neil sighed and sat at his desk. Alexandria returned her attention to her book as Mr. Keating opened the door to his office and walked through the classroom and straight towards the door that lead to the hallway, whistling and not saying anything. The boys all stared after him until he poked his head back into the room.  
“Coming?”  
The boys left their seats and followed after, leaving Alexandria to read quietly until they returned a few minutes later.  
“Now, as you all know, I am Mr. John Keating. What you all don’t know is who is sitting at my desk and why she is sitting there. Well, I’ll tell you. This young lady is my daughter, Alexandria. In this room, you shall address her as either, “My Lady” or “Miss Alexandria.” Out of this room, you may call her what you like, so long as it is deemed appropriate by her. You may call me Mr. Keating, or, for those of you who are bolder, ‘Captain.’ Now, I imagine you have some questions for my daughter, so fire away, boys.”  
Several boys scrambled to ask questions, but Alexandria was too absorbed in her novel to notice. Mr. Keating tapped the desk to get her attention and jerked his head towards the classroom of boys. Her mouth formed an “o” as she realized what was going on.  
She heard Meeks’ question first.  
“Why aren’t you at school?”  
“I’ve finished school and am now waiting for the day applications are going to be accepted at Harvard. But, seeing how that won’t be until next year, I’m here with my father,” She answered, “What’s your name?”  
“Stephen Meeks.”  
“Well it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Meeks.”  
The next question inquired after her age.  
“Normally it’s impolite to inquire after a lady’s age, but since I know why you’re asking I’ll tell you. I’m seventeen.”  
There were murmurs all across the room as she stood and walked around her father’s desk to lean aginst the front of it.  
Neil raised his hand.  
“Yes?”  
“What would you study at Harvard?”  
“That’s a secret.”  
Mr. Keating chuckled and smiled when some of the boys started asking him to answer for her, “Now, now. I can’t divulge a lady’s secrets. How would she ever trust me?”  
Alexandria laughed, “I trust you plenty, Papa.”  
“Alright then. I have a different question for you, my lady,” Neil said.  
“Ask away, Mr. Perry.”  
“What’s your favorite book?”  
“Come now, Mr. Perry. That’s like asking a parent to pick a favorite child,” Mr. Keating scolded.  
“Am I not your favorite child, Papa?” Alexandria asked with mock hurt.  
He chuckled, “You’re my only child, my dear.”  
The class laughed.  
“You haven’t answered my question, my lady,” Neil reminded.  
“My apologies, Mr. Perry. Actually, Papa, the answer was easier to decide than you would have thought. Can it be a series of novels Mr. Perry?” Alexandria asked.  
“Sure.”  
“Then my answer is The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis.”  
The bell rang and all the boys made their way out of the classroom to get to their next class.  
“Shall we go for a walk, my dear?” Mr, Keating asked.  
Alexandria thought about it for a moment, “Alright,” she grabbed a book of Robert Frost’s poetry and a shawl and took her father’s arm.  
The two of them walked around the grounds of the school, Alexandria reading from the book aloud and Mr. Keating guiding her. After a while, he took his leave to plan tomorrow’s lessons and she continued walkinng around, humming to herself. She heard footsteps run towards her and then slow down to walk beside her.  
“You seem to have taken quite an interest in my, my lord Perry,” she said without looking up from the book of Robert Frost.  
“Can you blame me?” he asked.  
She smiled and looked up, ”Not really. After all, one girl in a boarding school for boys? I knew I would attract some attention.”  
“My point exactly,” he chuckled.  
“So, what do you think of my name after having to wait to get it?” she asked.  
“It suits you,” he answered.  
“Oh? How so?”  
“Well it’s a beautiful name for a beautiful girl,” he gave her a lopsided grin.  
She laughed, “Well aren’t you the charmer, Mr. Perry.”  
“Call me Neil.”  
“What I call you doesn’t change what you are.”  
“Truer words have never been spoken, but I meant what I said.”  
“I know you did.”  
They walked in a companionable silence for a few moments before Neil remembered she had been reading a book.  
“So what are you reading now?” he asked.  
“Robert Frost. I like to read poetry when I walk with my father. He had to go in and work on tomorrow’s lessons for you boys,” Alexandria explained.  
He nodded, “Would you want to walk with me and read it aloud?”  
She considered it for a moment, “I wouldn’t mind the company, but don’t you have homework to do, Neil?”  
“I do, but I can get it done late,” he flashed that charming smile again, “Please?”  
“Alright,” she flipped the pages of the book to the beginning, pulled in a breath, and began to read the first poem aloud, slipping her arm through his.  
Neil looked at her questioningly.  
“So that I don’t run into anything,” she explained quickly before going back to reading the works of Robert Frost.  
Neither of them realized how much time the had spent together walking around the school grounds in a lazy pace, trading the book back and forth, until the dinner bell rang. They exchanged a look and then he grabbed her hand and they both ran to get back to the school. They barely made it in before dinner actually started and she went to go sit with her father and he went to go sit with his friends.  
“Having fun with Mr. Perry?” Mr. Keating asked.  
“Aye, but not in the normal way people our age have fun. He joined me on my walk and we traded my book back and forth to read Robert Frost aloud,” she answered.  
“Is he any good at reading aloud?”  
“Yes. It’s not something I expected of him,” she looked over at Neil only to find him already looking at her. He gave her that smile again and she flushed and looked away quickly.  
“You like him, don’t you?” her father asked, a teasing lilt to his voice.  
“At this point it’s mere infatuation, but you wouldn’t be wrong if you said as much,” she grabbed two dinner rolls and accepted the dish of pasta that was passed to her and loaded up her plate.  
“Just tread carefully, my dear,” he cautioned.  
Alexandria put a bit of salt on her pasta, “I will, Papa.”


	4. The Gazebo

And so it went. Alexandria helped her father teach his classes when he asked her to, sometimes even interjecting and helping him when he didn’t ask, knowing he would appreciate her contributions. The two of them continued their daily walks and Neil continued to join Alexandria when her father had gone inside and when his homework was done, but she usually had some alone time between the two of them because of Neil’s huge workload after classes. She didn’t mind. It gave her time to think. But when Neil did join her on nights where he had the time to walk with her. They would talk about anything and everything.  
During one of these walks, Neil started a game of tag. Alexandria chased after him, both of them laughing as they tagged eachother back and forth, taking turns chasing one another. At one point, Neil grabbed her from behind and picked her up and spun her around. Alexandria shrieked and laughed.  
“Neil Perry put me down!” Alexandria shouted.  
He did and looked down at her with that smile of his that was charming without him trying to make it so. Alexandria smiled up at him and blushed when she found him already looking at her, but didn’t look away. Neil slowly set her down and Alexandria felt her feet gently touch the ground.  
She looked around and then gasped, “Neil look!”  
Neil followed her line of sight and smiled, “How very poetic.”  
Alexandria ran for the thing she saw, “A gazebo!” she ran up the steps and spun in a circle, a big grin on her face.  
Neil watched her as she looked around the wooden structure with peeling white paint. It looked like it had been forgotten for many years.  
“Are we even on the school grounds anymore?” Neil wondered aloud.  
Alexandria shrugged, “I dunno.”  
The two of them looked around the gazebo until Alexandria exclaimed in triumph, “Ah ha! People have carved their initials into different places over here, come look!”  
Neil went to her and they looked at the initials on the underside of the rail.  
“Look, JK,” Neil pointed out.  
Alexandria looked at him and grinned, “Perhaps for a certain John Keating?”  
Neil grinned, “Maybe so.”  
They continued looking at the initials that were carved into the old wood for a while before Alexandria pulled a small knife out of her sock and flipped it open.  
“What are you doing?”  
“Making my mark,” she said simply, and started etching her own initials into the bottom of the rail. When she was done, the letters AMK had been added to the midst. She handed her knife to Neil, “Your turn.”  
Neil took the knife and carved his NP into the aged wood.  
“There. Now we’re both immortalized,” Alexandria joked.  
Neil smiled at her, “We could make this our place.”  
“What do you mean?”   
He rolled onto his side and propped his head up with his hand, “This could be our spot. Just ours. Not mine and yours and the rest of the guys’ spot. Just ours.”  
She smiled, “We could repaint it however we wanted to.”  
Neil chuckled, “You know that’s not what I mean.”  
Alexandria giggled, “I know. But we still could.”  
“Yes we could. So? Is this our place?”  
“More so than it has been for anyone else,” Alexandria smiled.  
Neil gave her a soft smile, “Good.”


	5. Rainy Days

A few weeks after they had discovered the gazebo, Neil was all in a tizzy.  
“What’s got you so wound up?” Alexandria asked as they walked towards their place.  
“There’s a show going on in town, and I’m going to audition!” Neil announced.  
She smiled, “What play is it?”  
“Midsummer Night’s Dream,” he told her, taking her hand, putting a hand on her waist, and starting to spin her around in a clumsy waltz.  
Alexandria laughed and let him, “Well I’m sure you’ll do well. You would make an excellent Puck.”  
“You think so?”   
She laughed, “Honestly, Neil. When have I ever lied to you?”  
He stepped up onto the gazebo floor and leaned against one of the beams connecting it to the roof as it started drizzling rain, “I know. But what if I don’t get the part?”  
“They’d be stupid not to give it to you. You forget, my lord Perry,” she teased, “I’ve read Shakespeare with you.”  
“I know. I’m just nervous, I guess.”  
“Good. A little fear means you’re not stupid.”  
He smiled and realized she was standing in the rain still, “What are you doing? You’ll get sick, you dummy.” He grabbed her arm and pulled her under the cover of the gazebo roof before pulling off his jacket and putting it around her shoulders.  
She pulled it tight around herself, trying to absorb some of the warmth that lingered in the cloth of the blazer.  
“You still cold?” he asked.  
Alexandria nodded, “A little, but I’m okay, promise.” Her body betrayed her as she shivered.  
Neil chuckled, “Liar.” He pulled her to his chest and rubbed his hands up and down her arms.  
She shivered a little and Neil pulled her to his chest.  
“Maybe we should head back to the school to get you warmed up,” he suggested.  
Alexandria was quickly warming up, but nodded, “Maybe we should wait for the rain to stop.”  
“That could take hours, and we have no idea what time it is,” Neil argued.  
Alexandria shivered again.  
“I don’t want you to get sick,” he told her.  
She nodded, “Okay. Let’s go.”  
So they started walking back to the school, quickly becoming soaked to the bone, and staying huddled together. It took a little while to get back to the school as the ground became very wet and very muddy very quickly and they kept slipping. By the time they got back, they had missed dinner, almost missed lights out, and were both cold as ice. One of the teachers heard the door open and started angrily walking towards them before he caught sight of their sight of their state.  
“Mr. Perry, Miss Keating, what were the two of you doing out in the rain so late?” he demanded.  
“W-w-we,” Alexandria tried to answer him, but she was trembling like a leaf.  
“Come. Let’s get you two warmed up,” he lead them to the study room and got a fire going quickly, “I’ll go get your father, and Mr. Perry, I’ll get you some dry clothes.”  
All they could do was nod as they stood as close to the fire as they could to thaw out.  
“I’m s-s-s-sorry,” Alexandria managed after the teacher left.  
“Not your fault, Al. I just hope neither of us gets sick,” Neil said.  
Famous last words. Mr. Keating came in and took his daughter to have a nice hot shower in an attempt to combat the cold, but it had soaked into her bones. The two sat huddled by the fire all night, both having fallen asleep, and Alexandria buried under blankets when she woke up. The room was full of Neil’s friends and classmates, but they were all quiet so as not to wake her up, though they woke Mr. Keating.  
“Ally, you need to get to an actual bed,” Todd said in concern when he noticed her waking up.  
She nodded, still exhausted, “Neil?”  
“He’s sick, too,” Charlie told her, pressing the back of his hand to her forehead, “Though, he doesn’t have a fever as bad as you.”  
She nodded, “Good.” Alexandria tried to stand, but she had very little energy and her legs gave out from under her.  
Charlie caught her and picked her up bridal style to carry her to her room, “Todd, put a blanket over her and then grab the others. We gotta get her to bed.”  
Alexandria shivered and snuggled closer to Charlie’s warm frame, “Where’s Papa?”  
“He’s teaching a class. He asked me and Todd to use our study hour to take care of you,” Charlie told her as Todd put a blanket over her.  
Charlie carried her to her room, Todd following faithfully behind with his armful of blankets. When they got to her room, Todd opened the door and dumped the blankets onto a chair and then turned down the covers so that Charlie could put her in the bed. They tucked her under several blankets and then Charlie asked Todd to go get a bowl of water and a clean cloth so they could work on getting her fever down. Todd did so and when he came back, he informed Charlie that the cook was making Alexandria and Neil some special chicken noodle soup. Alexandria had fallen back asleep. Charlie nodded and took the bowl, dipped the cloth in the water, wrung it out a little, and started wiping Alexandria’s face with it. When the bell rung, Charlie sent Todd to class, saying he would stay and take care of their friend. Todd only nodded and promised to collect all the notes and homework for the classes he would miss and give them to him.


	6. Bed Head

When Alexandria woke up, she was tired. She was covered in blankets that were pulled up to her chin and her hair line was wet from the cloth. Charlie, Todd, her father, and Neil were all in her room, each working on something different. There was also a bowl of soup on the bedside table waiting for her.  
“What are you all doing here?” she asked.  
“We’re making sure you get better,” Todd answered.  
Alexandria gave him a small smile, “That’s very sweet of you.”  
Charlie looked up and smiled at her and then went back to work on his paper. Neil mumbled something and shifted a little, making the others realize he had fallen asleep.  
“What are you doing, Papa?” Alexandria inquired.  
Mr. Keating glanced up and smiled at her, “I’m writing to your mother.”  
“Mama? What for?” Alexandria asked.  
“Because you’re sick. I promised her if anything happened to you, if you got ill or injured, I would let her know of your condition and tell her if she needs to come or not,” he answered.  
“Could you tell her to come? I miss her,” Alexandria said.  
He gave her a patient smile, “You know how busy your mother is. If you aren’t better in a few days, I’ll ask her to come.”  
Alexandria nodded, “Alright.”  
Todd got up and helped Alexandria eat her soup and gave her a glass of water to sip on. He checked her temperature and frowned when she still had a fever. He started wiping her face with the cloth again when Neil woke up with a groan. He looked around and smiled groggily at Alexandria when he saw she was awake.  
“Hey, Al. How’re you feeling?”  
She smiled back, “I’m okay. I heard you got sick to?”  
Neil nodded, “Yeah, but I’m not as sick as you. I don’t have a fever.”  
Alexandria pat the empty spot of her bed, “Come sit by me.”  
Neil glanced at Mr. Keating, who didn’t miss it.  
“If she wants you up there you better get up there. A sick Alexandria is a force to be reckoned with.”  
Neil chuckled, getting up and going to sit on the bed beside his friend, “She’s a force to be reckoned with anyways.”  
Mr. Keating chuckled, “She gets it from her mother.”  
“I’m right here,” Alexandria said grumpily.  
They chuckled.  
Charlie closed his text book and laid at the foot of the bed, “Anyone wanna play cards?”  
Alexandria fell back asleep after only a few games of poker where they were playing with random odds and ends. Charlie won a bright red lipstick off of Alexandria. Alexandria won a handkerchief from Neil. Neil won a button off of Charlie. Then it was just the boys. Todd had gone to his and Neil’s room to get some sleep and Charlie went off to bed himself after Neil fell asleep. Mr. Keating glanced up at the two of them asleep on the two teenagers who were asleep and considered waking up Neil to move him, but decided that they were both sick and it was better if they both just continued to get their rest. So he grabbed his things and went to his own bedroom.  
When Alexandria woke up, the first thing she noticed was how dry her throat felt. The next thing was how hot she was and then that there was a weight around her middle. Frowning, she glanced down and saw that it was an arm. Following the arm led the to revelation that it was connected to a shoulder which was connected to the rest of a the body which was actually Neil. Alexandria felt her face heat up. She and Neil were so close, she could feel his breathe on her face. She went to move away from him to put some space between the two of them when Neil woke up, inhaling deeply and then letting out a little groan.  
His eyes fluttered open, looking around a little before setting on Alexandria, making a sleepy smile spread across his face, “Well this is something I could get used to seeing when I wake up every morning.”  
Alexandria’s felt her face heat up even more and hoped that the flush from her fever covered it.  
“I like your hair,” Neil teased and then pressed the back of his hand to her forehead, “You’re still burning up. I’ll go get some fresh water.”  
Alexandria watched him get up and go to the bathroom that was connected to her bedroom and fill the bowl that had been by her bed with cool water, also collecting a fresh washcloth to wipe her face and neck with. She finally spoke when he came back, “Aren’t you sick, too?”  
“Don’t worry about me, Al. I feel much better,” he promised, getting the cloth damp and starting to help her cool down by wiping her face and neck with it, “I don’t get sick often and when I do, it doesn’t usually last long.”  
Alexandria only made a small noise to acknowledge that she was listening before a thought came to her, “You’re not worried about your father, are you?”  
“For the play?” Neil asked.  
She nodded.  
He scoffed, “When am I not worried about my father?”  
“You need to stand up for yourself, Neil.”  
He let out a small chuckle, “Right, and get killed in the process.”  
Alexandria reached out to touch his arm and opened her mouth to speak, but let out a dry cough instead.  
Neil grabbed the near-empty glass of water and handed it to her.  
She drained what was left in it and then cleared her throat, “Thank you. Anyways, I know it’s hard and intimidating, but would you rather be a slave, or a free man, able to be happy and make your own choices?”  
He grabbed her hand and held it over his chest, absentmindedly running his thumb over the back of it, “Who doesn’t want to be happy?”  
She smiled a little, knowing he wouldn’t be doing this if he wasn’t distracted and still recovering from his cold, “You know, my mum wanted to send me away to finishing school when my dad took the job here. I had always done what she wanted me to do before, but I hated the idea of being seperated from my father for so long. I told him that I wanted to come with him and he loved the idea, but said that I had to stand up to Mum if I wanted to be able to.”  
“Were you scared?”  
She nodded, “Terrified. But I did it and now I’m here.”  
He thought about her story and shook his head, “There’s a difference between our stories.”  
“Oh?”  
“Yes, ‘oh’,” he had a teasing lilt to his voice.  
“Well I don’t see it so you’ll have to tell me,” She told him, adjusting the way she was sitting on the bed.  
“You’re you and I’m me.”  
“Yes, I already knew that, Neil,” she laughed.’  
He moved so he was sitting beside her on the bed, “Yes, but you’re stubborn as hell-”  
She gave him a look, to which he only shrugged in response.  
“-and I’m-”  
“Just as stubborn as I am,” she finished for him, “You could do anything you set your mind to, you just have to gather your courage a little more than usual this time.”  
He leaned against the headboard with a little sigh, contemplating it.  
Alexandria let out a little yawn and moved closer to him, still exhausted, both body and mind, from how sick she was and not thinking straight as she put her head on his chest and her arm around his middle, already half-asleep. She felt Neil put his arm around her on instinct and then tense when he realized what their position was, but by then she was already asleep.  
It was then that Mr. Keating came in with breakfast for both of them. He raised his eyebrows at their position and Neil only shrugged, pointing to the girl who was half-laying on him. Mr. Keating nodded in understanding.  
“She’s quite the cuddler when she’s sick,” he whispered.  
Mr. Keating set a pitcher of cool drinking water on the bedside table along with two bowls of hot oatmeal. He was about to leave when Neil spoke up.  
“Captain?”  
“Yes, my boy?” Mr. Keating turned around to face him.  
“Why did you let me sleep in the same bed as your daughter? There will certainly be rumors and I’m sure the other teachers won’t like it.”  
“You’re both sick and I figured your rest was more important than any rumors that will quickly be taken care of. And this way Mr. Dalton and Mr. Anderson can attend their classes today instead of staying here to look after her,” Mr. Keating explained, “You don’t mind looking after her, do you?”  
“No, sir.”  
“Good lad. Just no funny tricks, or she’ll be very cross with you. And trust me, my daughter is not someone you want to have cross with you. It isn’t pretty.”  
Neil nodded, “You don’t have to worry about anything from me, Captain.”  
Mr. Keating looked at Neil, really looked at him. He looked at him the way you would look at someone when you’ve just figured out what’s going on in their mind and you approve of it, “You care for her, don’t you?”  
“Very much, sir,” Neil answered, glancing down at the sleeping girl in his arms.  
“I don’t think I have to tell you not to break her heart,” Mr. Keating said sagely.  
Neil gave a small chuckle, “No, sir. That isn’t my intention at all.”  
Mr. Keating gave him a smile, “Good lad. Remember to get some rest today, too. You’re still very sick, remember,” he tapped the side of his nose.  
Neil grinned, “I will.”  
Mr. Keating nodded and left to go teach his first class of the day.


	7. Ben

A couple days later, Alexandria’s fever broke. Within a few days of that, she was back to full health and back to helping her father with his classes. The whole time she was sick, she had boys popping by with cards or little treats or just popping in to say hello and that he hoped she felt better soon. Neil stayed with her until the day after her fever broke. Within that amount of time, he had learned many things about her. Like the reason her hands were always dirty and the reason she loved classical text so much. In the time she was stuck in bed, Alexandria read Hamlet, Pride and Prejudice, Romeo and Juliet, and the Tragedy of Julius Caesar. She had drawn and colored many things including the gazebo she and Neil had found, the house she had grown up in, her father’s classroom, and Big Ben. The drawing was why her hands were always dirty and her love of the classics came from her parents reading them to her as bedtime stories as a child.  
The day Alexandria returned to her father’s classroom, he gave the boys an assignment to write a poem about whatever they wanted. The only catch was that they were to recite them in front of the whole class.  
“Is Miss Alexandria going to recite one too?” Charlie asked as all the boys packed their things.  
“You’re asking the wrong person, Mr. Dalton,” came Mr. Keatings reply.  
All eyes turned to Alexandria, who was curled up in her father’s chair behind his desk with her nose stuck in a book, oblivious to the world around her.  
“My Lady,” Neil said, loud enough to catch her attention.  
She looked up almost in surprise, “Yes, Lord Perry?”  
He smiled in amusement, “Charlie asked if you are going to recite a poem of your own creation.”  
“If you all really want me to, then I will,” she promised.  
Neiil grinned as the class of boys gave a resounding response in the affirmative.  
The bell rang and the classroom slowly emptied as Alexandria thought about what to write, “How long do they have to write the poems, Papa?”  
“A week,” Mr. Keating answered.  
“That gives me plenty of time. Fantastic.”  
Alexandria ended up writing several poems throughout the course of the week, but none of them felt right. She kept them all anyways, as a sort of portfolio of her writing, but continued to write poem after poem.  
“I just don’t know what to write about,” she said, exasperated, as she sat in the grass with her head in Charlie’s lap as the two of them shared an orange with Todd holding her feet in his lap and Neil in his room working on homework, “Everything I write about either has too much meaning or not enough. It’s maddening.”  
“You’re thinking about it too hard, Aly,” Charlie told her, “Just write about anything.”  
“I’ve written about a hundred things!” she exclaimed in frustration.  
“Have you written about Neil?” Todd asked.  
Alexandria propped herself up on her elbows to look at Todd, “How do you mean, Anderson?”  
“I mean, you guys seem like best friends and we all know you like him,” Todd started off.  
“You do?” Alexandria groaned, flopping back down and accepting another orange slice from Charlie, who chuckled.  
“Well, you seem to spend all of your free time with him, Xan.”  
“We’re just friends!” she insisted.  
“Nothing more?” Charlie asked.  
“No! Why would we be anything more?” she asked.  
“You’re still not answering the question of whether or not you like him,” Charlie prodded teasingly, taking a bite out of the orange slice he was eating.  
Alexandria growled in frustration, “Alright, fine! I like him! Good grief, why does it matter?”  
“Because you could just write a poem about Neil!” Charlie insisted.  
“But then he’ll know!” Alexandria groaned.  
Todd chimed in, “Not if you tweak it a bit after you finish writing it. Change the details that would give it away so that it could mean anyone.”  
“Then the mystery of whether or not you left someone at home in England will be that much more mysterious,” Charlie pointed out.  
“What are you talking about, Chuck?” she asked.  
“There’s a rumor that you had a boyfriend back home that you left behind when you came here with your dad,” he said.  
“I did,” she said bluntly.  
Todd and Charlie choked on air, “What??”  
Alexandria sat up and stole the last orange slice from Charlie, “I did.”  
“And you didn’t tell us why?” Charlie asked.  
“Because it wasn’t relevant.”  
Charlie scoffed, “What do you mean it wasn’t relevant? Does Neil know?”  
“No. I don’t like to talk about it,” Alexandria said simply.  
“Well you have to tell him!” Todd said.  
She looked over at him, glaring a little, “I don’t have to do anything, Todd.”  
“But-!”  
Charlie cut him off, “Why don’t you like to talk about him?”  
Alexandria let out a sigh, “Because I miss him. He was my best friend growing up and when we got older we started courting. It wasn’t anything different from how we already were, to be perfectly honest. We just did coupley stuff too.”  
“What was his name?” Todd asked.  
“Benedict. We all called him Ben.”  
“Do you write to him?” Charlie asked.  
Alexandria shook her head, “No. I can’t.”  
“Why? Too painful?”  
“Because he died, Charlie. Six months ago.”  
“Oh.” The whole mood shot straight down at that.  
“And for the record, I grew up in Ireland, not England. Very different countries and accents, ya dingus.” Alexandria said with a smirk.  
Charlie and Todd laughed at that.


	8. Death and All His Friends

The poem was due in a day and Alexandria was still nowhere closer to writing the poem she wanted to recite to the class. She was sitting against the rail of the gazebo, tapping the end of her pen against her chin and looking around her. She looked at the trees, the leaves turning yellow as summer finally turned to autumn. She put pen to paper and started writing as the sound of footsteps came to her attention. Neil sat beside her, not saying anything and letting her write until she was done and spoke first. They sat for little while before she finally looked up.  
“Hi.”  
Neil smiled, “Hey.”  
“Have you written your poem yet?” she asked.  
“Yeah. Have you?”  
“I’m still trying to write one that I want to read aloud. Too many of them are too personal,” she said, running a frustrated hand through her hair.   
“Well isn’t that what poetry is all about? Writing about what’s important?” Neil asked.  
Alexandria leaned against him and he moved his arm to go around her shoulders as she sighed, “Yeah, but I don’t want anyone’s pity.”  
“Is this about Ben?” Neil asked.  
She looked up at him in surprise but then just shook her head, “Charlie told you?”  
He nodded, “Usually I tell him where he can shove whatever he’s trying to tell me, but he said someone close to you died.”  
She nodded, “He’s not wrong.”  
“You want to tell me about him?”  
She shrugged, “He was my best friend, my oldest friend. We knew eachother when we were in diapers. And then six months ago he got in a car accident and died.”  
“I’m sorry, Aly.”  
“It’s okay. It happens. And I firmly believe I’ll see him again.”  
He smiled down at her, “So do I.”  
Alexandria took in a deep breath of the crisp evening air and then let it out slowly, “Promise me you won’t die.”  
Neil kissed the top of her head, “I plan on sticking around for a long time, Al.”  
She gave a small smile, “Good.”


	9. Poetry

That night Alexandria stayed up late writing poem after poem, but nothing felt right. When dawn was blooming across the sky, she sighed and relented and wrote about Ben. When she finished the poem, it was shorter than she thought it would be. Although, she wasn’t sure how long she really thought it would be. She supposed more than a couple of pages in her notebook. But there it was. It was raw and plain and simple and needed no explanation. But it was finally a poem that felt right. It said all that she needed to say and she was finally satisfied. Which was good, considering she was to be reading it aloud in a few hours. With a yawn and a stretch, she got up and got ready for the day.   
She slept through the first few periods, her head resting on her arms on her father’s desk. He woke her up for lunch and then before she knew it, it was the hour she was meant to read her poem.  
Pitts’ poem was humorous, Charlie’s was as expected, Meeks’ was interesting. Then it was Neil’s turn.  
Neil walked to the front of the classroom and unfolded a piece of paper. Mr. Keating was walking slowly around the classroom and Alexandria was sitting at a vacated desk towards the back of the room. He cleared his throat, licked his lips, opened his mouth, and began.  
“If I didn’t know any better,  
I’d say she was Snow White,  
With her raven hair  
And skin fair as snow.  
But something about the  
Mischief in her eyes  
Makes me hesitate to call her so.

“If I didn’t know any better,  
I’d say she was Rapunzel,  
With her love of books,  
And art that is made with paint.  
But something about the  
Ink on her face  
Makes me think there’s something more.”  
The boys had all started to heckle Neil when he first began, but quickly silenced themselves. Neil swallowed as if his mouth was dry and continued.  
“If I didn’t know any better,  
I’d say she was Cleopatra,  
With the way she can control an army  
And the open hand with which she freely gives.  
But something in the  
Playfulness of her gaze  
Makes me know.

“If I didn’t know any better,  
I’d say she was an ordinary girl.  
One who loves book.  
One who enjoys a good joke.  
One who has a giving heart.

“But because I know all these things,  
I know she is far from ordinary.  
Because I know these things,  
I know she is far from ordinary.  
Because I know these things,  
I know she is not a Princess, but a Queen.  
Because I know these things,  
I will not hesitate to kneel at her feet,  
And offer myself as tribute  
In any way she will have me.”  
Neil stood at the front of the classroom for a moment longer, his gaze never leaving Alexandria’s face as he recited the poem he had memorized. After a moment, he went and sat at his desk.  
“That was very brave of you, Mr. Perry,” Mr. Keating praised, “Who wants to go next?”  
All eyes turned to Alexandria and she gave a shy smile.  
“I guess I’ll go, Papa.”  
“Excellent.”  
Alexandria picked up her notebook and headed to the front of the room, opening it to where her little ribbon bookmark was placed. She took a deep breathe and began to read.  
“Love isn’t something that blossoms overnight.  
Like a flower,  
It takes time,  
It takes energy,  
It takes work  
For the beauty to come forth.  
Most of all,  
It takes just the right amount  
Of just the right things.

“Love takes compassion.  
The ability to feel for others.  
To have not only sympathy,  
But empathy for the one you admire.

“Love takes patience.  
One musn’t explode with anger.  
Nor can they get irritated at the little things.  
In fact,  
Those little things are the things you must look for.

“Love takes care.  
Ask yourself:  
Is he kind to me?  
Does he make me laugh?  
Does he apologize when he hurts me?  
Is he generous?  
Does he make time for me?  
Does he take care of me when I’m ill or injured?  
Because these things mark a man who truly loves you.

“Love is eternal.  
Once you love someone,  
You never stop.  
You will love them for the rest of your life.  
Once you love someone,   
They’re forever in your heart.

“Love can hurt.  
Sometimes, you lose the one you love.  
It isn’t always your fault.  
Sometimes it just wasn’t meant to be.  
And sometimes the one you love passes on from this world.  
It can’t be helped.

“But what can he helped is how you freely you express your love.  
Don’t shove it in a bottle.  
Don’t hide it away.  
Be free with it.  
And never be afraid to say  
‘I love you’.”  
Alexandria looked up from her notebook to find all of the boys staring at her. Then they all started talking amongst themselves. While they were distracted, she took the opportunity to subtly wipe at her eyes.  
Meeks tapped Neil on the arm and grinned, whispering, “I bet I know who she wrote that about.”  
Neil shook his head, “It wasn’t me,” he whispered back.  
Meeks frowned, “What? Of course it is!”  
The bell rang and the boys all packed their things. Mr. Keating was telling them that they would continue this tomorrow as Alexandria walked briskly out of the classroom. She didn’t stop there, either. After walking out of the classroom, she walked out of the building, and then out of sight of the building, forgetting a jacket in her haste to get out. She needed space and fresh air. When she was sure no one was around, she let her tears freely fall. She ended up at the gazebo and sat on the steps, folding her knees up to her chest and hugging them, resting her forehead on her arms as she cried. She didn’t know how long she sat there crying for when she felt a pair of familiar arms around her. She leaned into them, uncurling from around herself and instead curling around them.  
“I thought I might find you here,” Neil’s voice said, rumbling against her ear that was pressed against his chest.  
She sniffed and wiped her nose, “I’m sorry, I just-”  
“You miss him,” he finished for her, “I understand.”  
She nodded and kept crying. He let her, rubbing her back and arm and letting her know that it was alright, that he was there for her, that she could cry as long as she needed to, and other sweet nothings. Neither of them knew how long they were out there, but Neil figured it was a long time when dusk and then darkness painted the sky. At some point he realized that she was shivering as well as sobbing and draped his jacket over her shoulders to help her warm up. He didn’t mind. He glanced down at her when she stilled and found her sound asleep. He carefully scooped her up and started to carry her back towards the school. The lights out bell rang as he stepped over the threshold with Alexandria in his arms just as Mr. Keating walked by.  
“Thank goodness you found her!” he exclaimed, then realized he was carrying his daughter, “Is she alright?”  
Neil hushed him quietly, “She’s asleep.”  
Mr. Keating nodded, “Well, come on then.”  
They walked to Alexandria’s room and carefully put her to bed.  
“Is she alright?” Mr. Keating asked.  
“She will be,” Neil promised.  
“I know. You should get to bed. It’s late.”  
“I will. Goodnight, Mr. Keating.”  
“Goodnight, Mr. Perry.”


	10. Picnic Rendezvous

Alexandria woke up the next morning and took a shower. She skipped breakfast, and instead of hanging around her father’s classroom all day like she usually would, she opted to walk around the school grounds for the day, going to the creek and walking along it. The poem had pulled every emotion to the surface that she had worked hard to push away during the six months since Ben’s death. Now she was filled with grief and sadness that she had been battling for just as long and didn’t quite know what to do with it. So she closed herself off. She just walked around the grounds of the school, no destination in mind, just wandering and trying to push away her emotions.

“Will she be okay?” Neil asked, he, Charlie, and Todd having stayed behind after class was over.

Mr. Keating sighed and looked out the window to where his daughter was walking around the rugby field, “She will be. I don’t know how long it will take for her to get there, but she’ll get there eventually. I knew this would happen eventually.”

“What do you mean?” Todd asked.

“She got like this after Benny died and then one day she came out of her room her usual cheerful self. It wasn’t even two months after he died. So I knew she would relapse,” Mr. Keating explained.

They were all silent for a few moments, just watching Alexandria in concern.

“You boys should get to your next class,” Mr. Keating advised.

They nodded and did as they were told.

At dinner time, Neil went to the dining hall for dinner and grabbed a plate piled high with food and two forks before going out to find Alexandria. It didn’t take long to find her. She was laying on the floor of the gazebo.

“You always seem to end up here,” he said by way of greeting.

She didn’t even look at him, “What are you doing out here? Isn’t it dinner time?”

“Yep. And I brought dinner with me. I don’t think you’ve eaten all day,” he sat beside her and poked her, “Sit up. We’re having a picnic.”

Alexandria groaned and sat up, “I don’t want a picnic.”

“Too bad. You’re having one,” he handed her a fork and started to eat.

She took it begrudgingly and took small bites of the food Neil had brought out for her. They were silent for a while, Neil eating heartily and Alexandria picking at her food.

“How was your day?” Neil asked.

She shrugged, “It was a day.”

Neil just raised his eyebrows.

She sighed, “I’ve been crying all day, okay? Happy?”

“Not until you are.”

Alexandria offered a small, surprised smile before she shook her head, “I don’t know how to deal with all this. I don’t know how to deal with grief.”

“Everyone has their own process of working through it,” he pointed out.

She nodded, “I know, I just- Ben was my best friend. We did everything together and now he’s gone and I don’t know, I don’t know what to do without him,” she quickly wiped away a tear, “I keep turning to tell him something, or hear his witty reply to something my father said, but he’s never there. Because he’s dead.”

Neil wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him, “I’m sorry, Al.”

She rested her head on his shoulder and sniffed, “Me too. Thank you for bringing me dinner.”

“Anytime. You want to go see what sorts of trouble the boys are stirring up?” he asked.

She gave a little laugh, “I think we’re stirring up enough trouble out here as it is. Besides, aren’t you missing that little meeting of yours?”

He looked down at her, “You know about that?”

“The Dead Poet’s Society?” She scoffed, “Of course I do. My father was one of the original members. It’s impossible for me to not know about it.”

“Todd told you?”

“Charlie.”

“Ah.”

“Yep.”

“We do have a meeting tonight, actually. You want to come?”

“Frankly, I’m appalled that you didn’t ask sooner.”

Neil laughed.

“Really, I am!”

“Whatever you say, Al.”

She poked him.

He started gathering the remnants of their picnic, “Come on, let’s get back before I get demerits for being outside for too long or something else made up.”

Alexandria let out a little laugh, “Alright, let’s go.”


	11. Initiation

When Alexandria made it to her first meeting, she had a sweater and a blanket wrapped around her.

There was a knock at the door and she walked towards it, “Who is it?” she whispered.

“It’s Neil. You ready to go?” his voice came through the door.

She slipped out the door and pulled the blanket around the two of their shoulders and together they snuck out to the little cave by the river. When they got in, Alexandria stood up too fast and bumped her head on the ceiling of the little cave they were in.

“Ow!”

Neil laughed, “You okay?”

“Yeah I’m fine,” she chuckled,

“You brought a girl?” Meeks squeaked.

Alexandria turned towards him, “Well hello to you, too, Mr. Meeks.”

“Oh. It’s you, milady.”

She smiled and sat on an outcropping of rocks. Neil sat beside her and the two of them remained wrapped up in her blanket.

“Shall we get started?” Charlie asked.

“By all means.”

He stood up and unfolded a piece of paper that made all of the boys get excited and Alexandria scoff in disgust and roll her eyes with a muttered “boys”. She didn’t fail to notice, thought, that Neil wasn’t looking at the picture, and instead was looking at his hands. She bumped him with her shoulder and smiled at him and he smiled back.

“Thank you for not looking,” she whispered.

Neil smiled, “Why would I look at another girl when I’ve got my girl right here?”

She shook her head, “But I’m not your girl.”

“Aren’t you though? You’re my best girl, at least.”

She laughed, “I’m pretty sure I’m your only girl, Neil.”

“Touche.”

She leaned her head against his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around hers, “So what do you say, Al? Are you gonna be my girl?”

She let out a little sigh, “Just promise me you won’t die, yeah?”

“Cross my heart,” he made an ‘x’ over his heart.

“Good,” she snuggled further into him.

“I’m not going anywhere, Al. Promise.”

“Well even if you did, I’d move heaven and hell to find you again.”

“I know you would,” Neil kissed her temple and rested his head against hers, “Cuz that’s who you are.”

Alexandria smiled, “I’m glad you know that.”

When Charlie finally sat down, he looked over at her, “What about you, Aly? You got a poem for us?”

She shrugged, “I don’t know. Ask me next time.”

“Boys, I think we ought to make her an official member of the society,” Charlie said.

She rolled her eyes, “I think I already am. After all, I am the daughter of one of the original members.”

“True as that might be, we have to make you do something,” Knox agreed.

“What do you boys have in mind?”

The boys all huddled together and discussed it. Neil was disagreeing to something, she could tell, but the others seemed pretty adamant about whatever they had thought up.

Alexandria leaned over to Todd, “What do you think they’ve thought of?”

“I have no idea,” he whispered back.

“Nothing good, surely.”

He shook his head, “You could probably come up with something better, honestly.”

The huddle broke and the boys all returned to their seats.

“We have decided, Aly, that in order for you to be an official member of the Dead Poets Society, you have to kiss old lover boy there next to you,” Charlie announced.

Alexandria rolled her eyes and looked over at Todd, “You were right.”

“You don’t have to, Al,” Neil was saying.

“What are the qualifications of the kiss?” she asked, leaning forward, resting her chin on her knees.

“You’re seriously considering this?” Neil asked, completely befuddled.

She shrugged, “I want to know the rules for it and check all my options.”

He just stared at her.

The other boys smiled to eachother. The consensus seemed to be on the mouth, tongue optional. The only other option that they could think of was for Alexandria to take a swim in the river which was automatically out because of how cold it was.

“You sure?” Neil asked.

Alexandria smirked, “You ready?”

“If you are.”

Alexandria gave a small smile and leaned in. Neil met her about half way and they kissed. In reality, it lasted only a few seconds, but to her, it lasted half an eternity.  Her heart soared and she was left breathless. Not even Ben left her feeling like that when he had kissed her. When they broke apart, she caught her breath and slowly opened her eyes. She and Neil rested their foreheads against eachother and then looked over at the others who were all grinning like idiots.

Alexandria gave a small laugh, “You guys are dumb.”


End file.
